Whirligig

This is the best new book I have read in a long time. It combines a good message - you cannot escape the consequences of your actions - with a wonderful story-telling style and lively, well-drawn characters. Brent Bishop is a young man on a mission - to become popular in his new school - and he is determined to do this at a party he isn't strictly invited to. While at the party, he gets drunk and, after suffering humiliation at the hands of a good-looking girl, he leaves the party and tries to kill himself. He is not killed. Instead, a young lady, Lea, deeply involved in the community, dies in the crash. Brent's parents try to negate his guilt, and fail. He then goes to a meeting with Lea's mother. She sends him on another, different mission: to go to the four corners of the country and build whirligigs there, each with Lea's face on them. So Brent sets off. On the way, he meets tremendously varied characters, such as a bicyclist from Canada, a waitress in a Florida restaurant, and a watercolor artist in Maine. Each of these people play their own part in Brent's transformation from a shallow, popularity-chasing boy into a responsible, generous man. Intercut with Brent's story are other stories, the stories of people his whirligigs affect. There's a school-girl from Maine who gets a boyfriend after doing guided imagery with a friend of hers. And there's the Puerto Rican street cleaner who finds peace and relaxation from the noises and bustle of his daily life. Or the young boy, adopted from Korea, or the teenager in San Diego whose Grandmother is dying. This is a story of consequences, of things lost and things found, and a beautifully written one at that. Bravo, Mr. Fleischman. Thank you for writing this book.

Brent Bishop can never fit in, so he tries to kill himself. Driving home from a party where he is totally humiliated, Brent deliberately crashes his car. He lives, but takes another's life. A young woman, Lea, dies in the accident, & her mother wants only one thing from Brent. He must build four whirligigs in Lea's likeness & place them in the four corners of the United States.Brent makes his whirligigs much like Paul Fleischman constructs his heartwarming novel. The story moves seamlessly back & forth between Brent's journey to piece his life together, & glimpses into the lives of the fragile people who encounter each whirligig. Their stories in each simple chapter build a satisfying & uplifting whole, just like Brent's creations. This tale of redemption & restoration is a thing of beauty that will bring any reader joy.

As an English teacher, I am always looking for books that will hook my students. This is definitely one of them! I was entranced with this story from the first page. There are so many wonderful subplots in addition to the story of Brent. Everyone can learn valuable lessons by reading this book.

This book demonstrates how one accident can change your whole life. Sixteen year old Brent Bishop leaves a high school party drunk and tries to end his life by taking his hand of the steering wheel of his car. He blacks out and when he wakes up, he discovers that he has killed another another person, Lea. Instead of the death penalty, he will have to do a task chosen by Lea's mother. His task is to make four whirligigs and put them in the four corners of the U.S. Brent's deed affects other people around the the country by giving them hope, and confidence. I like the whole idea of a whirligig because it was Lea's favorite toy as a child. The whirligig also symbolizes the many twist and turns of Brent's life. Paul Fleshman has a very unique style of writing by throwing in the tiniest detail to make the story an ounce better. I recommend this book from anyone eleven through nineteen.